Behind Imperial Lines
by Lizard King 13
Summary: Moss Plot' ki, a Bothan Jedi, finally got out of his hiding place on Bestine IV. But he keeps finding himself in Imperial territory. Sequel to Behind Confederacy Lines.
1. Showdown with Sidious

Moss Plot' ki sat on the very top of the spire, surveying the water landscape. In the distance was Gasha, the capitol city of Bestine IV. He also noticed over the few years he had been living in the spire, that the space-based repairing stations were moved to the water where they stood on off shore platforms. Near the bottom of the spire was a painful reminder of how he got here, the droid gunship. He flew in it for his last mission in the Clone Wars. His master died in it when the clones turned on them, and then the Republic shot down the gunship and he crashed on the spire. He was forced to live here ever since.

The Bothan Jedi wore Orn Tenel's old robes that he had found. Orn Tenel was a Separatist leader that Moss and his master had to kill. His base was within the spire.

Over the few years that he lived alone, he took the remaining battle droid parts that were scattered around and built a new droid as a companion. Its head and body were once part of a regular battle droid, its arms were once the arms of a MagnaGuard, and it didn't have legs. Instead, it floated on a thick disk with a repulsorlift to help it float. Moss programmed the voice to be less mechanical and fitted the droid with an information retrieval jack, like an astromech droid has. He also gave it the knowledge of four languages, Basic, the beeps and boops of an astromech droid, Jawese, and Wookiee. But it wasn't like he was going to need any of those languages. He named the droid CP-30.

Moss climbed through the hole and landed in what once was a control room. He could hear CP-30 calling for him down the hall, so decided he would trick it with one of his new found Force tricks that he learned and mastered while living in the spire. The tricks were Force Cloak, he used the Force to make him invisible, another is Force Projection, he used the Force to make more than one image of himself, the next one was Force Blinding, he used the Force to make a bright flash which would temporarily blind the enemy, the last one was a Dark Side trick, but he didn't realize it. It was Force Drain; he would drain the life out of something in order to heal himself. He practiced on seabirds. But Moss chose to use Force Projection.

"Hello, Seepee," said Moss as CP-30 entered the room.

He was about to say something, but another Moss came from the droid's right. "Hello, what do you want?" he asked.

"Oh my, I am so confused," said the droid.

"Don't be," said another Moss from behind the droid. CP-30 turned around and the other Mosses disappeared. "Now, what is it you came to tell me?"

"I have found an energy source and hooked it up to the gunship," announced CP-30. "The ship's sensors say that an Imperial Landing Craft is coming straight for this spire."

"Turn it off!" screamed Moss. "The Imperials probably know that we are here now." He ran out of the room and down the hall with Cp-30 following close behind. "With any luck, they will just check out the ship and not do any further investigations." Moss reached a window that he punched out with the Force earlier that year. Just as the droid said, an Imperial Landing Craft was headed straight for them. And on it, Moss could sense nothing but darkness.

When the landing craft landed, and the ramp was let down. Six Royal Guards, in their red robes, descended down the ramp in two lines. When they reached the bottom, they took a step to the side. Then a hunched over, shadowy figure dressed in black robes descended the ramp. Moss assumed it was the Emperor. The Emperor turned to his guards and held a short, inaudible conversation. When he was done, the guards went over to the gunship. The Emperor turned around and walked inside the spire.

"Get to that landing craft," he told CP-30. "Take an alternative route to avoid the Emperor. I will come when I have the chance." Moss knew this was his only chance to get off the spire.

"Yes, sir," responded CP-30. It turned around and floated off. Moss hoped that both of them would make it to the ship alive.

Moss stood there for a moment and concentrated and soon disappeared. He walked around, looking for the fastest way to the exit, but also avoiding the Emperor at the same time. He rushed through the maze-like corridors. He knew it like the back of his hand, but now it seemed so confusing to him.

He turned a corner and saw the door at the end of the hallway after a couple of minutes of searching. But to his dismay, the Emperor turned out into the same hall his was in. Moss froze. The Emperor slowly walked down the hall. He stopped right in front of Moss. The Emperor lifted his hands to his chest, and extended his fingers outward. Moss wondered what he was doing but then it hit him like a bolt of lightning, literally.

The Force Lightning made him reappear and threw him a couple of meters down the hall. Moss desperately tried to get his lightsaber out. But the Force Lightning stunned him. Moss panicked as the Emperor made his way towards Moss, with his hands still lifted. "Apparently my attempt to expunge the Jedi wasn't as thorough as I would have liked," the Emperor said in a low growl. Moss tried to brace himself for the next round of Force Lightning, but then he regained his strength and took out his lightsaber

The two of them ignited their own at the same time. The Emperor made the first move, which Moss easily blocked. The Emperor struck again and this time the two locked lightsabers. They stared at each other for a while, but then the Emperor growled and shoved Moss back. Moss recovered by spinning and attacking at the Emperor's side. The Emperor blocked it and forced Moss' lightsaber around in a circle, which made Moss temporarily lose control of it.

The Emperor took advantage of the moment and used both hands to stab his lightsaber into Moss. Moss jumped back, out of the Emperor's reach. Moss tried to cut the lightsaber out of the Emperor's hand, but the Emperor jumped back. Then, out of no where, the Emperor mustered up enough strength to try and overwhelm Moss. Moss did his best to block every attack. Moss began to tire and the Emperor saw it, "I have you where I want you."

"You only think that," retorted Moss. He held out his hand and attempted Force Drain. But the Emperor blocked it with his lightsaber.

"Interesting move, _Jedi,_" said the Emperor. Moss thought about why the Emperor said it the way he did. Meanwhile, the Emperor was about to deliver the finishing blow to the distracted Bothan Jedi. Moss quickly snapped out of his thoughts and reflexively used Force Push. It threw the Emperor down the hall. The Emperor screamed and landed on his back, a coupled of meters away.

Moss ran into a nearby room. He went through a door and could hear the Emperor quickly following him. He shut the door behind him and locked it. It wouldn't stop the Emperor but it would slow him down. Moss ran through another room and into the same hall their battle took place. The door was a few meters away. Moss used the Force to help him run faster. He made it out side and ran onto the ship.

When Moss got on, the ship started to lift up from the ground. Moss checked in on CP-30, who was flying the ship. Below, on the spire, he could see the Royal Guards and the Emperor running out to see their ship being stolen. "I am going to check incase a guard decided to stay on the ship," Moss told the droid.

Moss went back out of the cockpit and looked around. He came across a closet and opened it. It contained a spare Royal Guard uniform. "Where should we go?" called out CP-30.

"The Star Destroyer. I know it may seem crazy, but I have a plan," answered Moss.


	2. On Board the Star Destroyer

Sorry, I haven't posted a chapter in a long time. I got... sidetracked.

* * *

The door to the cockpit slid open, and in the doorway was a Royal Guard. "Master! Master, help, there is a -," screamed CP-30.

"No, no, it's me," said Moss. He took off the helmet and tucked it under his armpit. Cp-30 didn't recognize Moss' voice because it was muffled by the helmet and kept screaming. When droid realized it was only Moss, CP-30 stopped screaming. "That's better," said Moss, taking a seat in the co-pilot's seat.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't scare me like that," said CP-30. The droid turned back to the controls. Moss laughed and put the helmet back on.

"I didn't realize you would freak out the way you did. Well, just focus on the getting to the Star Destroyer. We have to be on that ship and out of the system before the Emperor can make any transmissions," said Moss. He buried his face in his hands and wiped them over his helmet. "I have been hiding for the past year, from no one in particular. But now, we are going into the mouth of the Empire, and deception will be our best friend." Then a thought popped into his mind, but quickly dismissed it. "That's silly," he whispered to himself.

The landing craft rocked a bit as they cleared Bestine IV's atmosphere. The Star Destroyer came into view, and not long after that, a stern voice appeared over the comm. "The Iron Spike gladly accepts the Emperor's presence."

Moss was quick to act, "Thanks, commander, but the Emperor wishes to investigate the capitol for further rebel activity. He has sent his shuttle back up." Moss held his breath, hoping his story would be convincing.

The reply eventually came, "I must say, this is an unexpected move for the Emperor. But we cannot wait for him; we have accepted a mission to the Zhar system. We have to stand watch over the Imperial Enclave on the moon, Gall." The commander sounded a bit annoyed.

"The Emperor says to proceed with any mission you may have, and he will call another Star Destroyer when he is ready," said Moss. After that, the conversation ended. Moss buried his face in his hands. The battle with the Emperor was extremely strenuous, for Moss. He wished that there was something living on bored, besides him, so he could regain some energy by using Force Drain.

A few minutes later, they came to a halt. Moss lifted his head from his hands and saw that they were inside the Star Destroyer. On each side of the shuttle was a 5x5 group of stormtroopers and down the isle they created was a man in a stiff grey uniform. Moss assumed he was the commander.

"Seepee, stay close behind me," ordered Moss. He got up and walked don the boarding ramp with CP-30 on his heels. "Hello, commander," greeted Moss, wondering what he should have said.

The commander nodded. "We were expecting the Emperor, which is why you see the stormtroopers." He craned his neck to see CP-30.

"This is a droid I found on board," explained Moss. "I think he will come in handy with my duties." The commander had a puzzled look. Moss, himself, wondered what those duties were.

Eventually, the commander nodded and said, "Ah, I see." Even though Moss didn't think the commander did. After a moment of silence, which left Moss sweaty and feeling like he is about to pass out, the commander said, "Well, seeing that the Emperor isn't here, I guess you can have his quarters."

The commander turned around and walked towards a hallway. Moss followed who was followed by CP-30. The commander led them down another hall, and then on a an elevator. "We won't be making the jump to hyperspace for a while," said the commander. "We are scanning the system for anything else that may seem out of place. Then it will be a four day trip to Gall." Moss nodded even though the commander had his back turned towards Moss. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The commander walked out and Moss followed again. The hall was empty, which seemed out of place.

The commander turned one last corner, and motioned towards a door. "This is it," he said.

"Thank you," Moss said, as the commander walked away. Moss and his droid walked through the doorway. It was a large room, grey walls, like everything else on board the ship, created the perimeter of the room. It was neatly furnished with everything a bedroom should have, especially one as important as the Emperor's.

There was an outlet in the corner, which caught Moss' eye. "Seepee, plug yourself into the outlet and securely lock the door." CP-30 did as his master asked. The door clicked, and Moss ordered again, "Make sure all cameras in here are shut off. I am going to bed, so tell me if anyone is coming."

"Yes, sir," said CP-30. Moss took off the helmet and the guard's robes. He was burning up with them on because he still had his robes on. He placed the helmet on an elegant nightstand, and placed the guard's robes on a rack. Moss finally laid down on the bed and took a deep breath. A minute later, he was out like a light.


	3. Time to Go

Moss was thrown from his sleep by a vicious roar. "What? What is it?" he said, getting to his feet. He looked around for a moment and remembered where he was.

"Sorry, sir, but it was the only affective way of waking you," said CP-30. The droid was still plugged into the ship's computer. "I wanted to tell you that we made the jump to hyperspace four days ago, and also that someone is coming." Almost immediately after the words left the droid's mouth, there was a knock at the door.

Moss rushed to get the guard robes on. There was another knock, just as Moss was fumbling with the helmet. He slammed it on and ran over to the door. He hit the switch to open the door, but the door didn't move. Moss suddenly remembered that the door was locked. He turned around and motioned for CP-30 to unlock the door. The door clicked and then opened. Moss turned around to face the visitor. It was the commander. "Good morning, commander," greeted Moss, trying to catch his breath.

"It's evening," said the commander bluntly.

"Sorry, I wasn't aware that I was asleep that long."

"You've been asleep ever since you came aboard." The commander looked past Moss and into the room. "We've received a transmission from the Emperor. He says a Jedi he ran into on Bestine IV stowed away on your craft." He stared Moss straight in the helmet's eye slot. The stare made Moss' legs feel like jelly, but he tried to stay calm. "You wouldn't know anything about this, would you?"

Moss was silent and returned the commander's stare. "No, I don't," Moss finally said.

"Very well." The commander turned as if he was about to leave, but turned around again to face Moss. "We will be arriving at Gall in a little under ten hours." The commander turned away and walked down the hall.

Moss walked to the bed and motioned for CP-30 to close and lock the door. "This isn't good," said Moss. He took his helmet off and thought for a minute. "How long have I been asleep?"

CP-30 turned his head toward Moss. "Four days," replied CP-30. That surprised Moss. The battle with the Emperor took a lot more out of him then he realized. Moss thought about what he should do. The Emperor would tell the commander more about what happened. Then they would, for sure, be caught. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed. _We have only less than ten hours to stay hidden until we arrive at Gall. Then we hide some more. _"Seepee, what is Gall like?"

CP-30 twisted his jack to the left and to the right. "We are arriving on Gall, the forested moon of Zhar. The Imperial Enclave rests on Smuggler's Canyon, where it is also home to a species of Wampa." CP-30 finished the description, and Moss rested his head on his fist.

"What's a Wampa?" asked Moss.

The droid took a while to answer. "The computer doesn't say." The fur on the Bothan Jedi stood up. He could sense a group of eight people coming from each side of the hall. CP-30 confirmed his sense. "Sir, it appears that a squad of stormtroopers are coming to the room."

Moss stood up. He looked around the room for an alternative way out. He wasn't going to take on a squad of stormtroopers just yet. He spotted his way out in the corner of the room, where a ventilation grate was. "Seepee, compact yourself a much as you can." The droid obeyed, although disagreeing at the same time. Moss walked over to the grate and took it off. "Good." Moss walked over to the droid, still objecting to what ever Moss was up to. Moss reached for the droid's power switch and turned him off.

There was a knock at the door as Moss picked up his droid. "Open up," demanded a voice. Moss looked up at the door and then checked if his lightsaber was attached to his belt. He, then, placed CP-30 into the duct. He went in backwards pulling the grate back on. There was another knock at the door, "Last warning, open up now." A second later, the door blasted open and stormtroopers filed in, with their blasters ready. Moss watched it all from inside the vent.

Moss, after deciding that he should move on, carefully turned around and crawled through the ducts. He came to a fork and decided to go left. He crawled for a bit, and then abruptly the duct declined and Moss slid helplessly down. It was a long drop but it finally ended. With a bang, he stopped. He could hear his droid tumbling after him. And with a louder clang it caught up.

Unfortunately, they landed right by another grate. Two people in it were talking. Their conversation suddenly stopped. "What was that?" said one of them.

"It sounded like it came from over there." The man walked over to the grate and looked in. Moss lit his lightsaber and stabbed it through the man's face. Moss pulled away and the man fell to the ground. Moss kicked the grate open and walked into the room. The fact that the grate was near the ceiling caught Moss by surprise, and he fell to the floor.

Moss looked up and saw that the other man, in a neat grey uniform, had a pistol pointed right at Moss. "Get up," demanded the man. Moss did as he was told. Through the corner of his eye, he could see his lightsaber across the room. "Hands up." Moss lifted his hands and created a bright flash by using the Force. The man dropped his pistol and covered his eyes. Moss made his lightsaber come to him with the Force and slashed the man in the chest. The man fell to the floor and Moss walked over to the vent. He turned off his lightsaber and climbed in the vent. Moss grabbed his droid and began to climb as though nothing happened. He came to a three way intersection, and decided to go right.

Eventually, he came to another grate and looked through it. It wasn't a normal but the hangar bay they landed in. He could see the Imperial Landing Craft that they arrived in. People were busily walking around. Moss decided to sit back for a while and wait until he thought was the right time to enter it and make his escape.


	4. Arriving at Gall

It was an hour and a half later before Moss realized that the hangar was not the place to escape. And that the Imperials knew he was using the ventilation as a means of transportation. Both conclusions came from his left, where a probe droid turned the corner. Immediately it fired two shots at him. But Moss was quick and blocked both shots with his lightsaber. The probe droid fired two more shots, one missed Moss' head by inches, and Moss deflected the other into the droids eye spot. The probe droid was blind but still firing shots all over the place. The flashing lights in the vents were getting the people's attention in the hangar. They started firing their pistols at the Moss. "This is insane," stated Moss. Moss Force pushed CP-30 all the way to the end of the vent. Then he started to crawl backwards, still deflecting the rogue shots from the probe droid. Moss tried to deflect a shot into the droid, but they kept getting absorbed into the vent's walls. He deflected another shot and it bounced of the wall and hit the droid. The probe droid seized fire and fell with a metallic thud. Moss turned around and went to get his droid.

When Moss caught up, he turned off his lightsaber, and turned right. He hoped he wouldn't run into another probe droid again. And luckily, he didn't. After an hour of blindly wandering around in the vent he realized, the farther he goes, the smaller the vents become. So Moss decided to get out at the nearest grate.

Moss kicked the grate open and stepped out. Five stormtroopers and an Imperial officer were conversing near what looked like escape pods. Their conversation stopped and they looked at Moss. The stormtroopers were the quickest to fire accurately at Moss. Moss deflected the shots with his lightsaber, and killed the officer. Moss deflected blaster fire as best he could, but the stormtroopers were over powering him. A shot got his hand. His hand stung and then blistered. He deflected a shot into a stormtrooper and killed him. Moss reached out with his good and drained two of the stormtrooper's energy. Moss' hand was completely healed, and Moss threw his lightsaber at the last stormtrooper, which sliced him in half.

Moss grabbed his lightsaber as it flew back to him and shut it off. He went over to the vent and pulled out CP-30. Moss switched his droid on and slowly the droid's repulsorlift activated and CP-30 unfolded. The droid started to babble, but Moss cut the droid off. "Open up the escape pod," he commanded.

CP-30 glided towards the escape pod and plugged himself into the computer. The door to the escape pod opened and CP-30 commented joyfully, "Sir, it appears that we have pulled out of hyperspace early."

"That's lovely," said Moss. He pushed his droid into the escape pod and went in. The door slid shut as more stormtroopers rounded the corner. Moss hit the release button and with a loud pop, they were free.

Moss and CP-30 looked out the view port. They could only see Gall as a tiny sliver, because they were on the night time side of Gall. "That must be it," said CP-30 eagerly. As the escape pod broke through the moon's atmosphere, Moss had a feeling of déjà vu.

They smashed through the trees and they heard large branches snapping. Moss and CP-30 flew forward as the escape pod came to a halt. Moss got up and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open. He put his shoulder into it and it swung open and Moss fell to the ground. He got up and dusted himself off. He looked up and saw the escape pod a few meters above him. It was stuck in the trees.

"Come on down," called out Moss. "Your repulsorlift should cushion your fall." CP-30 jumped out and just like Moss predicted, the repulsorlift cushioned the droid's fall. "Which way?"

"I have studied the map and the angle we fell to the moon, and I predict we should go this way," said CP-30 pointing in the direction.

Moss unhooked his lightsaber, when he heard the wail of speeder bikes. "We should hurry. The Imperials already know we are here. Moss and the droid started off in the indicated direction. After a few minutes, Moss could sense that something was watching them. He gripped his lightsaber harder. A minute later, he was sick of the eerie feeling in the back of his head, and he whirled around. A large, brown thing was behind him. Moss ignited his lightsaber, which cast an orange glow on everything around. "So that's a Wampa," whispered Moss.

The Wampa lurched for Moss, with its arms outstretched. In two quick movements, the Wampa lost its arms and Moss finished the beast off by kicking it in the chest. The Wampa roared and fell over backwards.

Moss turned around because he heard CP-30 wailing. Another Wampa jumped out of the bushes and grabbed CP-30, and was pulling off one of the droids arms. Moss poked the lightsaber into the Wampa's back. It dropped CP-30 and turned around. He tried to grab Moss, but the Bothan Jedi ducked and gouged the Wampa's legs. The Wampa roared again and Moss killed it with a stab in the chest. The Wampa fell over.

Moss turned off his lightsaber and rushed over to his droid. "Are you ok?" he asked, looking at the mangled mess. The droid's left arm was completely ripped off. The other arm was hanging by a few wires. "You're a mess. Come on; let's go before more Wampas come." Moss helped CP-30 up and started to walk.

A few minutes later, they came to a canyon. A thousand meters across was the other side. Moss gazed at the beautiful sunrise and the ominous Imperial Enclave. The two contradicted greatly.


	5. The Yam Organization

Moss looked around his robes for pockets he knew didn't exist. "I wish I had some macrobinoculars," he said. He couldn't see any specific details about the Enclave like if there were any doors or windows.

"I picked up over 13 squads of stormtroopers patrolling the border," said CP-30. "And I see there are two visible entrances. Both are heavily guarded."

Moss stomped the ground in frustration. "Thanks, Seepee," he said. From the side of the Enclave, five dark figures sped away from the building and over the edge of the mesa that the Enclave stood on. Moss assumed that they were speeder bikes. Moss stared for a minute longer and another five speeder bikes were dispatched. "Come on, Seepee, we have to go before the speeder bikes find us."

Moss took a step forward and CP-30 asked, "Sir, what are you doing?"

Moss turned around. "Climbing over the edge of the canyon," he answered. "If we don't hurry the rising sun will shine into the canyon, making it easier to spot us. We have to do it while there is still a shadow in the canyon."

"But sir, I don't have any arms," said CP-30.

Moss looked at his armless droid, and then over the edge of the canyon. "You see that ledge? I will climb down to that ledge and then lift you down with the Force." He took a step forward, and climbed to the ledge. The climb down didn't last long and wasn't as hard as it appeared. He looked up at CP-30 and closed his eyes. CP-30 lifted up and then down onto the ledge. "There," said Moss.

Moss looked over the edge to see if there was another ledge just like the one they were on. His search was cut short by CP-30 screaming. Moss whirled around and pulled out his lightsaber, but did not light it. At the mouth of a cave, which he didn't see before, were seven people with blasters pointed at Moss. The man in the center stepped forward and said, "Who are you? You're not an Imperial are you?"

"Me? Oh, no, I am running from them," replied Moss.

"Then why are you going to the Imperial Enclave?" retorted the man. Moss was silent Why _were_ they going to the Imperial Enclave. The man lifted his blaster higher. Moss, in return, put his thumb over the ignition button of his lightsaber. That tiny motion took the man's attention. "You're a Jedi? Well, then, you aren't an Imperial, you're running from them." The man's tone changed from serious to almost delighted, and he lowered his blaster. But his associates didn't. "I am Yam," said the man, "the leader of this smuggling organization." He put an arm around Moss and led him into the cave. Yam's associates put away their weapons and so did Moss. "Who are you, Jedi?"

"I am Moss Plot'ki and this is CP-30, my droid I built," responded Moss.

Yam looked at CP-30. "It looks like he has seen better days. I have people who can fix him right away." Moss nodded and CP-30 was led down a separate corridor in the cave. The cave was dark, but the lights started to make their appearance the deeper they went in.

"So you're a smuggling group?" asked Moss. He didn't feel right leaving his droid to a people he hardly knew. Especially smugglers.

"You haven't heard of the Yam Organization?" asked Yam with surprise and an attack on his pride echoing in the cave. "Well, I guess you wouldn't have. We are relatively small as far as smuggling groups go. The Yam Organization was created by me and my three other brothers. We're quadruplets. The Yam Organization is a planet wide group. Or in this case moon wide." Yam chuckled. "Our headquarters are on the other side of the moon. This is just secret outpost. Here, we make sure the Imperials behave. Sometimes they like to beat up on our ships." He paused to turn the corner. "So tell me, why were you trying to go to the Imperial Enclave?"

Moss told him the whole story starting with his mission to Bestine IV during the Clone Wars. "… And we thought the Imperial Enclave was our only ticket out of here," Moss finished.

"And unfortunately, it still is," said Yam. "Like I said before, the Imperials like to beat up on our smuggling ships, so all of our ships are currently severely damaged. And we can't count on HQ sending a ship, because my brothers cut off all smuggling traffic for Smuggler's Canyon until half of our ships are repaired."

"You're trusting me way too much than you should," said Moss.

"No, your story explains why there are more speeder bikes than usual, and no Imperial would carry around that piece of junk with them. No offense, I do realize that you were limited with your resources. And you did a great job under those circumstances," he added quickly. They turned into an enormous room with a wide variety of ships in it. Only a few had droids and people grouped around it, no doubt trying to get the ships fixed. Moss looked up and saw a huge metal door as the roof. Yam noticed Moss staring at it. "That's how the ships get in and out. Even though it is well covered by the trees, we still only keep it open at night."

Moss nodded and they walked out of the room. "We may have a solution to your problem, though," said Yam. "We found a cave that leads right into the Imperial Enclave. It isn't protected at all." Moss nodded again. "Well I will let you think about it. But now you must be starving."

Yam led Moss into a beautifully decorated banquet hall. Tables were randomly placed through out the room. And near one wall was a buffet with chefs tending to the food. Some people were already eating at some tables. "I hope you don't mind if I leave you," said Yam after his comlink buzzed. "But I have to be some place right now. Just take a plate and pile on anything you want."

Yam left and Moss walked over to the buffet. Moss took a plate and found that the buffet had a lot of exotic foods from exotic places. Moss was feeling adventurous today so he took almost everything he didn't recognize. After he was done choosing his food he walked over to a table and thought about the tunnel Yam had described.


	6. Inside the Imperial Enclave

Moss was about to finish his last few forkfuls of scrambled eggs, that originated from a different planet, when CP-30 burst into the dining hall. "Master, master, look at my new arms," he said, waving his arms. "And look, I can split them so there are four arms." CP-30 demonstrated.

"Wow, that's really neat," said Moss shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth. Moss noticed Yam standing behind CP-30. "I don't know how I will be able to repay you."

"I have an idea about how you can repay me," said Yam taking a seat across from Moss. "But have you decided if you will take the tunnel?"

Moss took another bite of eggs and nodded. When he swallowed he replied, "I don't have much of a choice."

"Great! I will prepare the task force right away." Yam got up from his seat.

"Wait a minute. A task force?" asked Moss, taking the last bite of his eggs.

"Well yeah. Anybody with a brain would take a Jedi who fell into their hands and use him or her for a good cause. Look, all I want you to do, is help my people get deep enough into the Enclave and take out a few of their systems. Once their systems are out, the place will be left in the dark, making your escape easier." Yam paused and let Moss think about it for a while. Yam could tell his story was only persuading the Jedi a little. "You may even think of it as paying us back for your droid's arms."

"Ok, then," Moss conceded. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight."

Moss hung around the hangar for the rest of the day watching the droids and people fix the ships. CP-30 was by his side, admiring his new arms. Yam came from behind them, "When the ceiling door opens, is when you will leave."

"I just want to thank you for all the hospitality you have shown us today," said Moss.

"It was nothing, really. We pick up droid parts all the time," said Yam. A group clustered around a Z-95 Headhunter backed away from it and watched as the engines fired up. They cheered and walked to another battered ship.

Moss laughed at the sight. "I take it the repairs are going smoothly."

"Quite contraire, my Bothan friend. That ship was the third this week to be fixed. Those Imperials did quite a number on us."

"Oh, I see." Moss looked up as a loud grinding noise emanated from the ceiling. The door was opening. "I better get down there."

"I better take you, you don't know the way." Moss followed Yam and CP-30, as usual, tagged behind. They got to the mouth of the tunnel, where fifty people stood in an orderly line. Yam led Moss to the commanding officer. "This is the officer; he will tell you when you can depart."

Moss nodded. "Well, I guess we should hurry," said Moss. "Good bye, Yam." Yam waved and Moss walked down the tunnel. The officer was on his side and CP-30 was in back. Moss ignited his lightsaber for some more light. An orange glow splashed on everything around. They came to a part of the tunnel where it went straight up. A ladder provided a means to go up.

Moss was stopped by the officer. "I just want to remind you that I will tell you when you can go. If you disobey, keep in mind that the entire Organization knows you're with us and will shoot you down if you leave before you are told. Am I clear?"

Moss nodded and the officer let him go up first. Moss turned off his lightsaber and climbed the ladder. He could sense CP-30 making use of his four arms and climbing with all of them. He came to a circular door. And opened it just enough to see on the other side. Moss saw a lone stormtrooper standing with his back towards Moss. Moss carefully opened the door and snuck inside. He came up to the stormtrooper and ignited his lightsaber. The snap hiss made the stormtrooper turn around and Moss slashed him across the chest.

"Come on," Moss whispered. CP-30 crawled out like a spider with all of his arms. Then the captain and the rest of the task force came out. Moss could hear the door latch shut. "Where to now?"

The officer pulled out a datapad and pointed to a hall. "That way." They walked down the hall with Moss and the officer in the lead. A squad of stormtroopers making their usual round came around the corner. Moss ignited his lightsaber and sliced the first three. The team shot four more down and Moss deflected the last one's shot and sliced him down. After the last one hit the ground an alarm sounded.

"We're caught!" shouted the officer.

"No, none of the stormtroopers made any calls," said Moss. "It must be for some place else in the Enclave."

"Someone could have seen us on security holos," suggested CP-30.

"Well whatever it is, we have to hurry," said Moss. Everyone ran down the hall, which was unusually empty due to the alarm.

"In here," said the officer. He opened the door and walked in. Moss followed and so did the rest of the task force. Inside the room were two technicians. The task force shot them down. A member of the task force sealed all the entrances into the room. And the officer said, "You can leave now, we can handle it from here."

Moss closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon another image of him appeared. "Here, this might help you. I used the Force to make a copy of me. It can't kill anybody, but it might intimidate them or possibly scare them away. I would hurry though, once my concentration is broken, it will disappear."

"Thanks," said the officer.


	7. Hooka

Moss left the room, lightsaber in hand. CP-30 was staying close behind him. The wailing of the alarms stopped but the red lights kept flashing. "They must have overridden a security code," observed CP-30.

They turned the corner with haste and ran into two stormtroopers. Moss deflected the shots and one of the stormtroopers fell dead. The other retreated. "I hate when they run," Moss said. "Seepee, there is an outlet hurry and find out why the alarms were going off."

CP-30 floated his way to the outlet and plugged his information retrieval jack into it. It rotated in the socket a few times. "Will you hurry? They will come with reinforcements," warned Moss.

"Sir, I am going as fast as I can, CP-30 said. "It appears-," CP-30 was cut off by blaster fire. The stormtrooper had brought four others with him. Moss leapt into battle and cutting down two of them quickly. Moss stabbed a stormtrooper and pulled the lightsaber out of the stormtroopers chest, swung around and caught another. The last stormtrooper took a step towards Moss, but Moss kneed the stormtrooper in the chest and smacked him in the head with the butt of his lightsaber.

Moss closed his lightsaber and walked over to CP-30. "What's the news?"

"A prisoner has broken from his cell."

"What is he charged with?"

There was a pause as CP-30 looked for more information. "For being a Wookiee."

"A Wookiee…" said Moss. "He could help us, if we find him. Where was he last seen?"

"Ten minutes ago in corridor 7-13-B. It is all the way across the building," said CP-30.

"That's too far. We would never make it there and back alive. Plus, that was ten minutes ago, the Wookiee could be anywhere. We will have to leave without him." Moss ran off, not waiting for CP-30 to unhook and follow.

The two of them navigated through the Imperial Enclave, occasionally running into scrambling stormtroopers. They turned the corner and ran into three squads of stormtroopers with their back facing the Moss. "We're doomed!" cried CP-30. The stormtroopers turned around.

"We weren't until you shouted," Moss grunted. He ignited his lightsaber and did his best to deflect the blaster fire. There were too many stormtroopers and Moss could feel his strength slipping. His concentration was also slipping.

And then, a vicious roar echoed throughout the hall. CP-30 got excited and said, "Sir! I do believe that is a Wookiee battle cry." Moss looked over the heads of the stormtroopers and saw a giants brown and white Wookiee towering over them. The stormtroopers turned around and the Wookiee picked up two and threw them against the wall. Moss took advantage of the distraction and jumped forward slashing his way through the crowd of stormtroopers. When the last of the stormtroopers were dead, Moss closed his lightsaber and said, "I am Jedi Moss Plot'ki. And this is my droid CP-30."

The Wookiee growled something and Moss turned to CP-30 for a translation. "He says his name is Hooka."

"Well, Hooka, I would love to stay around and chat, but if you haven't noticed, the entire Enclave is looking for us." Hooka growled something and didn't need CP-30's translation to tell him the Hooka agreed.

They turned the corner into the hangar. "So many choices," commented Moss. Hooka growled and pointed to an elongated TIE with curved wings. "Good eye." They ran to it and were almost there when a squad of stormtroopers came in the hangar. They started to fire immediately. Hooka fired his bowcaster at the stormtroopers. One of the stormtroopers got CP-30 in the chest and knocked the droid dead. "No!" screamed Moss. Anger was filling up inside him and he used Force Drain on the stormtroopers. All of the stormtroopers fell to the floor at the same time and the Wookiee growled something.

Hooka climbed into the craft first and Moss wandered over to CP-30. It was dead alright. Moss figured there was nothing he could do. The blaster burned through the main wires. CP-30 would never be the same again if he did fix it. Moss climbed into the craft and as he sat down Hooka fired up the engines and blasted their way out of the hangar at full speed.

The TIE shook and Moss turned on the shield. "Shields up at maximum," announced Moss, trying to hold back his sadness and anger. "You should get the hyperspace coordinates ready." But Hooka was way a head of Moss. Moss leaned over and saw that their destination was to Naboo. "Naboo? What is there?" he asked. But Hooka didn't answer. The ship rocked again and Hooka pulled the hyperspace lever. The stars turned into star lines and then they were in the safety of hyperspace.


	8. Jedi Safehouse

The two and a half day trip to Naboo was made longer by the fact that Moss and Hooka had to stay in the same seat throughout the trip. Hooka would occasionally try to start a conversation, but the conversation would end quickly because Moss wouldn't know what Hooka was saying. Moss was still grieving over the loss of CP-30, but he was starting to get over it.

An alarm started to ring and Hooka pulled the hyperspace lever back. The star lines collapsed into stars and they were out of hyperspace. "So, that's Naboo," said Moss, staring at the greenish orb hanging in space.

A voice came on the comm, when they were about to break into the atmosphere. "Attention, Imperial craft." The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Moss. "Identify yourself, and your business being here."

Hooka was about to respond, but Moss stopped him. "Allow me. I have had experience with this kind of thing." He pushed the button and said, "This is Trando L'oro." He pulled the name from the back of his mind. "We are—"

Moss was cut of by the man. "Impossible, I am Trando L'oro." And suddenly Moss remembered where he heard the voice and name before.

"Trando? It's me Moss, from the school on Coruscant," Moss said, choosing his words carefully.

"No. The only school I went to was the ones on Naboo, and the Academy for the Royal Security Force," said Trando. "However, if you are who you say you are, then the queen will want to see you. You have clearance to land in Theed."

Hooka growled. "It could be a trap," said Moss. He thought he was agreeing with Hooka. "Land in Theed but be wary."

Hooka piloted the stolen TIE gracefully to the Theed star port. When he landed on a landing platform, Moss expected a whole convention of stormtroopers waiting for them, but only a man was. "Still could be a trap," said Moss. Hooka growled, shaking his head. "It's not too late to go back if you want." Hooka growled this time the noise vibrated the craft. "Something tells me that we are on two different pages. Let's go."

Moss hopped down from the TIE and walked over to the man. As he got closer, he could make out a familiar face. "Trando! It's you," said Moss.

"Moss! I am so happy you survived," said Trando. He engulfed Moss in a hug. "You have to tell me how you did it."

"You have to tell me what's going on. Like why the clone troopers turned on my master and me during our mission to Bestine." Trando held Moss out at arms length. "What is it?"

"It's… It's nothing," said Trando, finally. "I am just so happy to see you. I see you brought a friend," said Trando, acknowledging Hooka. "But we must hurry; Queen Apailana is waiting for us." Trando led Moss and Hooka out of the star port, to a parked air speeder. They all climbed and took off towards the Palace.

Moss' fur rippled as the wind blew. "So why does Queen whats her face wants to see me?" asked Moss.

"Queen Apailana is harboring Jedi refugees. She doesn't believe that former Queen Amidala was murdered by the Jedi, like the Empire says. This is her way of defying the Empire," said Trando. "Only top officials at the Palace know of what she is doing."

"It seemed like everyone in the galaxy hates us," said Moss.

"It would appear that way," said Trando. He lowered the speeder at the foot of the stairs that led to the Palace. At the very top, past the towering statues of warriors, Moss could see a whole entourage of people. Moss got out and walked up the stairs behind Trando. Hooka followed on the side of Moss.

When they reached the top, Moss studied the entourage of people more carefully. A young looking woman wearing an elaborate blue dress with a matching head piece and excessive make up, no doubt the queen stood in the middle. Flanking her right side was an obese balding man wearing a robe of some importance. Moss didn't know who he was. And on the right of him were four of the queen's handmaidens. On the left of the queen was a black man wearing a Royal Security Force uniform. And continuing to the left was the other four handmaidens.

Trando and Hooka bowed, leaving Moss to do a belated bow. "Welcome," said Queen Apailana as Moss rose. "I am Queen Apailana, elected Queen of Naboo. To the right of me is Moff Sio Bibble."

"Please, I prefer the term Governor. Moff is a bit to Empire for me." The obese governor held out a hand for Moss to shake.

Moss shook it and the queen started again. "And to the left is Captain Panaka of the Royal Security Forces." Moss shook hands with the Captain Panaka. "And on the sides of them are my handmaidens." Moss waved to both groups of the handmaidens. "Are you," she turned to Trando, "positive that he is a Jedi?"

"Yes, we were close friends during the Clone Wars," said Trando.

" Well, then, I expect Trando told you about the situation? About the refugees?" said Queen Apailana to Moss.

"Yes, he did," said Moss. "And if you don't mind me asking, but why are we meeting out in the open in broad daylight?"

"No one will suspect a Jedi. They will just think you are an ambassador from some planet. And for the Wookiee, they will think he is just the ambassador's slave," said the queen. "But if we stay out too long, someone will think this is more than a diplomatic meeting. Let's go in the Palace shall we?" Queen Apailana was the first to enter giant palace. It reminded Moss of the Jedi Temple, as far as the size went. Everything was so huge. Queen Apailana turned around and said, "I must go now, but Trando will show you to your room, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask Governor Bibble, Captain Panaka, or any of the other Jedi. But do not keep bothering the governor or captain, as they have other important things to do." The queen nodded and walked off, her handmaidens following her. Governor Bibble and Captain Panaka nodded and went their own separate direction. Which just left Trando and Moss.

"This place is magnificent," said Moss, looking straight up at the ceiling.

"Isn't it?" said Trando. He started to walk to the room and Hooka growled. Trando and Moss looked at each other. "I will get you a protocol droid so we know what your Wookiee friend is saying."


	9. Meeting With the Queen

"Whoa, wait up," said Moss to Hooka. "Explain this life debt business again." The two of them were sitting in Moss' room. It was large, like everything else in the Palace. Trando had summoned a red metallic protocol droid like he promised, and Moss and Hooka were having their first understandable conversation.

Hooka roared and the red protocol droid said, "He owes you a life debt for helping him escape the Empire and for breaking him out of slavery."

"But he helped me too," said Moss. "Doesn't that cancel each other out?"

Hooka shook his head and rumbled deep in his throat and then belted out a loud roar. The protocol droid turned towards Moss and said, "No, you see you helped him escape years of pain and torture. Whereas the Empire would have killed you right away. Why would the Empire kill you?" The last question wasn't from Hooka; it was from the curious protocol droid.

"I broke him out of jail. Weren't you listening?" spat Moss. They couldn't risk being found out because a curious protocol droid had some how fallen into the hands of the Empire. "Ok, I give up. You owe me a life debt." A smile crept onto Hooka's face. "So, what exactly is a life debt?"

Hooka explained to the protocol droid and then it told Moss. "I see. So you have to stick around until you die?" Hooka shook his head. "Until I die?" Hooka nodded. "So what happens if you die before I do?"

Hooka told the protocol droid. "Someone else will take over from his family."

"Oh, so it is like a group effort to keep me alive so your children and grand children can do the same thing," said Moss. "But isn't that like slavery?"

Hooka growled and the protocol relayed the message, "Slavery is something a being is forced to do. This is something Hooka chooses to do."

Moss thought for a bit. "But aren't you, in a way, forced to do because of tradition?"

Hooka growled. "Seeing that you didn't know about a life debt, he could have not brought it up."

Moss laughed. "Well, I guess you will be my bodyguard or something like that for the rest of my life. I guess I should get used to it." There was a knock at the door. "Come in," called Moss. The door slid open and Trando walked in. "Ah, Trando, we are done with the droid for now."

"You should leave him in your room," said Trando. "You might need him later and I don't want to keep getting you a new one every time, no offense."

"None taken," said Moss. "So why are you here?"

"Can't an old friend come to visit?" joked Trando. "I am just kidding. The real reason is that the Queen and some of the political officials, at least the ones who share the same views as her, and a select few Jedi are going to have a meeting soon. Queen Apailana requests that the new Jedi who have come should attend a meeting just to know what is going on. You're the only new Jedi in four months, so you will be the only Jedi besides the three she trusts the most."

"I am honored," said Moss standing up. "Who are the other three Jedi?"

"Me, Zaerqawi, a Rodian Jedi, I don't remember him from the Temple though, and Dirk Graeber, a Twi'lek Jedi. The meeting starts soon, we should get going."

"Ok, is it okay if Hooka comes along?" asked Moss, keeping in mind about the life debt. Although Moss didn't know how this meeting could endanger his life.

"I wouldn't, just in case," said Trando.

"You heard him, Hooka. Stay here until I get back," said Moss. Hooka growled. Moss and Trando left the room and walked to the Throne Room. The magnificent and almost ancient architecture of the Palace cloaked modern improvements such as the turbolifts Trando and Moss used to get to the Throne Room.

When they arrived Queen Apailana was seated at her desk, in front of a large window that showed a beautiful sunset, her handmaidens behind her. Governor Bibble and some other people were having a quiet conversation in one corner and in the middle of the circle of seats was a dark green Rodian with large white round eyes having a conversation with a blue Twi'lek. Moss assumed that they were the other Jedi. Queen Apailana looked up from her desk. "Now we can start," she said.

Everyone sat in their seat. Captain Panaka came out from behind a pillar and stood by the governor's chair. Trando and the other Jedi sat down, leaving nothing for Moss to sit on. "You will stand behind my chair," said Trando.

Once everyone was situated, the meeting began. "It has come to my attention, that there are rumors spreading about me harboring fugitive Jedi," announced Queen Apailana.

Governor Bibble gasped. "The Empire will, without a doubt, look into these rumors. And when they do, they will try to kill them and possibly you."

"A battle with the Empire will surely get you killed, my lady," said a dark haired women seated in the circle. "There has to be some other way."

"A battle with the Empire is inevitable," said the queen strongly. "At—," Queen Apailana was cut off by Dirk Graeber.

"Your highness, please forgive me for interrupting, but if we are going to have a chance of winning this battle, we will need help," said the Twi'lek Jedi.

"The Gungans," said Governor Bibble. "What about the Gungans? They will be more than willing to help us."

"I don't anticipate bringing the Gungans into this," said the queen. "They are not the ones protecting Jedi. I am. As I was saying before—," Queen Apailana was cut off by Governor Bibble.

"The Gungans will revert back to their beliefs that the Naboo are arrogant slime, if we don't bring them into this," said Sio Bibble. "We will jeopardize our pact with them."

"I know that, Governor," said Queen Apailana, Moss could sense in her voice, that her patience were running out. "I, or someone else will tell them about the situation when it is over. But as I was saying before, if the battle's turning out to be one can't win, I will flee from Theed, and so will the Jedi. There is still a chance they can remain secret."

"Not if you flee the capitol," said Trando with a laugh.

Queen Apailana looked at him. "I will, of course, hold meetings with Imperial officials to explain my bazaar behavior." She looked at Captain Panaka. "Do you think that your forces can hold off stormtroopers until I can get to the Palace's hangar?"

"We should be able too," reassured the captain.

"Excellent." The queen paused for a moment. "If you haven't noticed, we have another Jedi refugee. He came to us this afternoon. His name is Moss Plot'ki. I look forward to hearing about your days in hiding, Moss, and how you came to end up on Naboo." She paused and looked at the holos on her desk. "Well, this meeting is over. You can leave now," said Queen Apailana.

Everyone got up and murmurs started to echo in the room, as the politicians started to talk about the meeting. Trando got up and said, "Well, I guess you can go back to your room and get your Wookiee and meet me for dinner." Moss nodded. "Oh yah, one other thing. About an hour after dinner, I want you to meet me in a room. I will tell you which one at dinner, but I want to know what you learned when you were in exile."

"Ok, I will," said Moss. "I have nothing else to do."

Trando walked off and Moss was about to leave when Zaerqawi, the Rodian Jedi, came up to him. "How are you?" he asked, trying to speak clear Basic. It was obvious that he had just learned it.

"Fine, thank you," responded Moss.

"Listen, after breakfast tomorrow, would you like to come to my room and learn a few more tricks, with the Force? I will tell you which room at breakfast," said Zaerqawi.

"Oh, sure. I am meeting with Trando after dinner, so his would work out great," said Moss.

"Great, see you then." Zaerqawi walked off and Moss went to his room.


	10. Meeting with Trando

_Sorry folks, I have started school again and therefor will be posting chapters less often. But the story is almost finished; about 3-5 more chapters I am predicting. _

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The dinner went well. It was the best meal he had in a year. Moss had met the other Jedi, and the queen asked him to tell his story. They were all shocked when they heard that he had faced the Emperor and lived. After dinner, Trando gave Moss a datapad with the location they were to meet at in an hour. "You can get back to the room, Hooka. I think it would be best if you did," said Moss. Hooka protested. "But this is Jedi stuff. You will probably just fall asleep." Hooka's growls of protest echoed throughout the enormous hall they stood in the middle of. "Get!" Moss said, waving a hand in front of Hooka. The Wookiee walked off towards the room.

Moss turned on the datapad. The Palace's map flashed upwards in a three dimensional holo. A red line coming from the dining hall to the rendezvous room was leading the way on the map. A green dot indicated Moss. As Moss walked through the palace, the green dot moved through the miniature palace. Moss had arrived at the door and turned off the datapad. He placed it inside his robes inside pocket. His fur rippled and he pressed his ear against the door. Just barely, he could hear music. Moss decided to knock. No answer.

Moss opened the door. It led into a small room. Bookshelves lined the circular room. Not the kind at the Jedi Temple, these had real books in them. From the floor at the bottom of the book shelves, was a mystifying blue light, shining on them. In the middle of the room was Trando, cross legged, with his eyes closed. Along with the music, everything inside the room was peaceful and relaxing. Moss being in there, made him feel like he disrupted everything, but the feeling went on. The music was soothing. Chimes and tiny bells was what it was made up of. Moss couldn't find the source of the music, but it was at the right volume to maintain the serene feeling.

Moss did nothing but stand there. The door slowly closed behind him. Moss listened, drifting slowly into a trance, but he snapped out of it. The music was doing something to him. He was drifting again into the trance when the music changed. The change forced him to snap out of it. The lights turned blood red and the soothing chimes and bells disappeared and a feeling of mystery, sadness, and grim excitement flooded into Moss. Moss figured out what was going on. The music was controlling his emotions. The transition in the music was predictable, but Moss still wondered what the next note was going to be. The music was getting too much for him. He wanted to shout out, but found that he couldn't. Trando sat expressionless, still with his eyes closed.

Then the music changed again. The lights changed once again but this time they turned purple, and the feeling of sadness took over. The chimes were back, and they were accompanied by chanting. Moss didn't know what language it was in, but it made him gloomy. The last time he was this sad was when his master died. The song went on, filling him up to the brim with sadness. A tear came to his eye and streamed down his fur. It was like he was at a funeral. This was odd, because he was never at a formal funeral. Not even the ones that were for the Jedi who fell on Geonosis.

The music stopped, and the lights went out. Moss was no longer sad, but the darkness made it awkward for him. "Sorry about that. I didn't realize you would be on time. I expected you to be lost," said a voice through the darkness.

"That music…" Moss began, but he trailed off, thinking about what to say about it. Trando answered, but not the question Moss was going to ask.

"It helps me meditate. Welcome to my meditation room." The lights came back on. This time they were white and came from the ceiling instead of the floor. Moss quickly wiped a tear from his eye before Trando could see.

"Was that music sort of a story of before and after the Clone Wars?" asked Moss.

Trando looked at him, muddled. "Elaborate."

"Well, the part I walked in on could have symbolized peace of the Republic, when it was one whole," said Moss. "The transition was the Clone Wars, itself. It made me feel what everyone in the galaxy must have been feeling: sadness, because of the utter destruction and unnecessary loss of life, mystery, because no one knew what would happen next and they didn't know which side would be victorious, and excitement, because just with everything that was going on, it was coming to a point that it was overwhelming. And then, the ending was the fall of the Republic and rise of the Empire and the suffering of so many species thrown into slavery."

Trando thought about it. "That's interesting. I have never thought of it like that. Of course, you're not wrong, neither are you right. This song was composed before you or I were ever born." Trando stood up and stretched. "Now the reason why you are here."

"You said you wanted me to tell you everything I learned when I was on Bestine," said Moss.

Trando hesitated. "Ok, let's start with that."

"Did you have other things--," Moss was cut off by Trando who waved a hand. "Ok, I will tell you then." Moss stepped closer to the center of the circular room. "Well, first I can demonstrate them. I learned this first." Moss closed his eyes and concentrated. He flicked and then disappeared.

"Impressive," commented Trando. Moss reappeared. "Any others?"

"Yes, three. The second is something I discovered by accident." Moss concentrated again and a second image of him flickered and appeared. There were two Moss in the room. The second disappeared and Moss said, "Mind if I demonstrate on you?"

Trando looked at him seriously. "What are you going to do?"

"Just temporarily blind you," said Moss innocently.

"I will take your word for it," said Trando. "Any others you would like to demonstrate?" Moss hesitated. "Well…?"

"I can't do it. It would kill you," said Moss.

Trando jumped back. "Do you remember the rule about using Force powers?" asked Trando. His voice was calm, too calm. "It said that you could not use the Force to inflict pain or death to a living being."

Moss broke out crying, pleadingly he cried, "I am so sorry, I forgot. Living away from other Jedi has left me astray."

"Calm down!" roared Trando. "I will not tell anybody about what has just happened here, although I think some of the other Jedi can sense it in you. I could sense it in you at the spaceport. Just promise me that you will forget everything about the dark side power and any others you might know."

"It is the only one, I swear," said Moss.

"Excellent. Now I will teach you the Jedi equivalent to what ever you have learned," said Trando. For the rest of the night, they practiced the Jedi equivalent, Force Heal.


	11. Meeting with Zaerqawi

The next morning at breakfast, Hooka and Moss came down and sat at the table. It was a large, long table and at the head was a big, regal chair. The night before it had been occupied by Queen Apailana, but she wasn't here today. Moss looked around. The other Jedi were scattered around the table eating by themselves. Moss didn't notice Trando sitting at the table. In front of Moss, was a plate, silverware, and a wide assortment of food. Hooka grabbed a large bowl and dumped half of a lumpy, yet, good looking meal on his plate. Hooka gave Moss the bowl and began to eat. Moss stared into the bowl and took a significantly smaller portion.

From behind, Zaerqawi came up from behind and tapped Moss's shoulder. Moss spun around and looked at Zaerqawi. Moss wiped his mouth and said, "Oh, good morning."

"Good morning," said Zaerqawi, his tapir like snout scrunching up to try and speak perfect Basic. Zaerqawi handed Moss a datapad. "Take this; it will point you in the right direction to the room. You can come whenever you are finished eating."

"Thanks," said Moss. He turned around and began to eat and Zaerqawi left the dining hall. Hooka growled something. Moss took a good guess as to what he was saying. "No, you can't come. It will be just like last night."

Despite Moss's smaller meal than Hooka's, they finished at about the same time. "Just do whatever you did last night," suggested Moss. He got up from the table the same time Hooka did. "It will be like last night," Moss repeated. Moss walked out of the dining hall and turned on the datapad. The same map came up with the same sort of lines to show the way.

Moss followed the line on the datapad and came to a door. It confused him because he had a little ways to go still. He opened the door and the sight he saw took his breath away. A path, more like a bridge, connected a tower to the rest of the Palace. But on the sides of the bridge was nothing but air. About one thousand meters down was the ground. Moss realized that he was standing over a cliff. Moss looked along the cliff and saw another breath taking sight. A majestic waterfall dumping into a crystal clear river that ran out beyond the horizon, over a great, green plain. The wind was strong, blowing Moss's robes all over the place. The sight made him feel insignificant.

Moss took a moment to take the sight in. He took a deep breath and continued to walk. He came to the tower door and knocked. The door opened by itself, revealing a round room with the walls replaced by windows so the same sight could be seen from inside the room and the bridge.

"Good morning," said Zaerqawi. He continued right away. "Do you know why you are here?"

The last time Moss was asked this he ended up crying and realizing that he was part of the Dark Side. But he already knew that and didn't need to be told twice be two different people. "You said you would teach me new Force tricks."

"Precisely," said Zaerqawi. He turned away from Moss and looked out the window. "You are strong in the Force, and I can sense great potential in you. Luckily for you… No, it was not luck, the Force brought you here. Here to me, where I can teach you things that no other Jedi can teach you."

The way Zaerqawi spoke made Moss skeptical that he was even a Jedi at one time. He could not remember Zaerqawi being in the Jedi Temple, but he had Queen Apailana's trust, and if he was a member of the Dark Side, the other Jedi would have sensed it by now. "Sounds promising," Moss said at last.

"And it is!" said Zaerqawi turning around and taking a few steps towards Moss. "So what do you say?"

"What will you teach me?" asked Moss.

Zaerqawi's silvery eyes narrowed. "I will teach you the little stunt that the Emperor used on you on Bestine."

"But that's a Dark Side power," protested Moss. "That caused pain to me and possibly could have killed me. It defies the Jedi code"

"But it didn't, did it? I can teach you how to not abuse your powers like the Emperor. You will only use it lightly, just enough to stun and nothing more. Besides, look around. The Jedi are no more. It is just a struggle for power between us and the galaxy. Those of us who are weak will have the hardest time, but if we become stronger we will have a greater chance of survival."

Moss thought about it for a while. The first idea seemed logical to him, it was the second that was startling, but if you looked at it from that point of view, it did make sense. But something in the back of his mind didn't agree with his thoughts. "I guess, if only used with no intentions of abusing the power. Ok, I will let you teach me."

A smile crept onto Zaerqawi's face, which made him look freakish because of the Rodian's tapir like snout. "Good." Right away, Zaerqawi started to teach Moss some exercises and tried to teach him how to get lightning to come out of his fingers. They worked all morning until lunchtime. By then, Moss had sparks flying out of his hands.


	12. Imperial Spy

As the week progressed, Moss started to remember how hard one must work in order to become a Jedi. Zaerqawi's lessons were tough but quickly became his favorite compared to Trando's. Trando's lessons were tough, complex and left Moss sore when they were done.

Moss stood in front of the door. He took a deep breath and the door slid open. He walked into the room where Trando and Moss first met for his lessons. The room was lit from the ceiling and the bookshelves still lined the circular walls. Trando was looking at bookshelves and turned around when Moss entered the room. Trando looked at him and sighed. "What is it?" Moss asked.

"You," he responded gently. "I have been sensing that you are falling deeper into the dark side."

"What! That's impossible," insisted Moss. He stamped his foot in anger.

"Now, now, Moss. Let's not have a conniption. I could be mistaken, but I must know, have you been taking any other lessons from someone else?"

Moss hesitated, "Yes."

"From whom?" asked Trando, his voice still gentle.

"Zaerqawi, but he said it would be okay," Moss said.

"What would be okay?" Trando asked. "What is he teaching you?"

"He said if I could reduce the power used in Dark Side powers, so that no one get hurt or die from it, that it would not go against the Jedi Code."

"You fool! You should know better. You cannot reduce the power so that Dark Side powers do not cause pain." Trando rushed passed Moss towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Moss.

"To confront this Dark Jedi that has been tricking you into this blasphemy." Trando opened the door and Moss followed before the door shut. Trando walked briskly down the hall. Moss had to jog to keep up. Trando came to a door and knocked, there was no answer. Trando knocked harder and still no answer. With a quick motion with Trando's hand, the door blew open and Trando strode in, grasping his lightsaber. Moss went into the room that was now filled with a cloud of debris. It looked like Moss's suite that had been given to him when he first arrived. "He isn't in here," stated Trando. "Where could he be?"

"He has me meet him in one of the towers over looking the cliffs," suggested Moss. Trando rushed passed him again and Moss followed. Trando came to the door, and without stopping used the Force to blow open the door. He walked onto the bridge; the icy night wind blew just as strongly like before, whipping the two Jedi's robes around. Again, without stopping, Trando used the Force to blow the door open, and entered the room. He took out his lightsaber, as he made his way through the dust.

Zaerqawi turned away from the window, Trando's dark blue blade gave Zaerqawi's eyes a nice silvery shade of blue. "What is the meaning of this?" he barked.

"You are not a Jedi like you claim to be. You are a Dark Jedi who tried to persuade an already tainted mind to the Dark Side," said Trando. "But now, your plan had failed."

"I'd say," said Zaerqawi sarcastically. "But not entirely. You see, I was sent by the Emperor himself to check out a rumor that the Queen of Naboo has been holding fugitive Jedi. The Empire will be here in a few days." Zaerqawi laughed. "But while I am here, why not have some fun and take a crack at a Jedi or two." Zaerqawi ignited his red lightsaber.

The two of them leapt for ward and met each others blades in mid air and flipped backwards. The two of them jumped again and their blades met for a second time. Every time Trando's blade touched Zaerqawi's there was a bright blue flash. Moss stood helpless in the door way, anger welling up inside him. He tried to choke it down, but found that it was too hard. If he went into battle filled with anger, he would be on the Dark Side. But if he could choke down his anger, he would be willing to fight as a Jedi Knight.

Trando was pushing Zaerqawi towards the window. Their blades buzzing around in quick momentum, Trando's creating bright blue flashes when ever they touched. All while Moss was going through a different kind of battle, a mental one. He was focusing very hard on trying to choke down the anger, but a bright flash brought him out of his concentration and the sound of the windows that wrapped around the room shattered. Moss covered his head, to protect from the flying shards of glass. The wind rushed into the room blowing shards of glass across the floor.

Slowly Moss's anger was going away. Soon he would allow himself to fight. A scream was heard throughout the din. It was Trando's. Moss looked up and saw Trando cornered, about to fall out of the tower. Zaerqawi's blade getting a little to close for comfort towards Trando's chest. Moss ignited his blade and jumped towards Zaerqawi, doing circling motions with his blade. Zaerqawi turned around and blocked Moss's attack. Trando got to his feet and continued on with the attack. Moss didn't like that every time Trando's lightsaber was touched that it gave off a bright flash. It was another little inconvenience along with the roaring wind.

Zaerqawi was working extra hard, and was getting tired. His quick parries were getting slower and he must have known the end was near. He blocked Moss's attack but Moss used the momentum and sliced into Zaerqawi's side, and Trando did the same on the other side. There was a bright blue flash as Moss's and Trando's blades met, it signaled the end of Zaerqawi's life.

Moss and Trando turned off their lightsaber and took a minute to regain themselves. Breathing hard, Trando said, "The Queen must be notified." He walked out of the tower and Moss looked at Zaerqawi's dead body, split in two. He looked away and followed Trando.

Queen Apailana gasped when Trando told her the story of what just happened in the tower. Captain Panaka was standing at her side. "What does this mean, your highness?"

"This means that we prepare for battle," answered Queen Apailana.

"But your highness—."

"I will not leave my people and my guests." She glanced over at Trando and Moss. "After all I have done for them, I will not leave them when the Empire is at our doorstep."

"I wouldn't expect you to, but you can still leave the capital with the Jedi on some ship destined to wherever you will go. And now looking at the situation, I don't think the RSF can handle a full blown battle with the Empire."

"If worse comes to worst," said Trando, "we have a Palace full of Jedi."


	13. Battle Of Naboo

I got the idea for this chapter from the Rise of the Empire mode on Star Wars Battlefront II.

* * *

The tension inside the Palace was building, day by day. Every Jedi had learned about what happened two nights ago, and everybody was feeling uneasy. After a report that a Star Destroyer had entered the system, everyone knew the fight was imminent. Jedi Master Dirk stood on one side of Queen Apailana and Trando, Moss, and Hooka stood on the other. They had been staring out a large window into the courtyard of the Palace where the Royal Security Force was setting up for the invasion. Everyone was silent as they watched the troops scurry around the courtyard. The sun was almost behind the horizon.

Moss looked over at Queen Apailana. She was wearing a simple red dress and a gold and red head piece. Moss looked behind him and saw Captain Panaka coming from behind. He bowed his head at everyone. "The officers are making the final adjustments to the auto turret grid you requested set up, your highness."

"Very well," said Queen Apailana. "Has anything new about the orbiting Star Destroyer come in?"

"Yes, it is sending down landing crafts as we speak. We predict a battle will happen tonight." Queen Apailana nodded and Captain Panaka walked away.

"The sooner the better," remarked Trando. "All of this waiting and anxiety is not what I prefer." The queen said nothing. She just stood there, looking out the window, a sad look on her face. And that is what they did for the rest of the night, stood there looking out the window in silence.

Moss's legs were starting to ache but he still stood. Nothing interesting happened, only RSF security officers running across the courtyard. The sun was way beyond the horizon and only the stars shone. It was a clear, peaceful night.

"Imperial stormtroopers have been spotted near the edge of the city," said a voice from somewhere.

Queen Apailana pulled out a comlink from her collar and said, "Acknowledged, commander. Do what you must to keep them as far away from the Palace as possible."

"Yes, your highness," replied the voice.

Queen Apailana shoved the comlink back into her collar. The three Jedi and Hooka were staring at her. "The Imperials will, without a doubt, decrypt that conversation. It will make them expect an attack in the city, and not expect the surprise attack on the Palace grounds."

"But they will expect something once the attack does not come when they are in the city," said Dirk. "And the Star Destroyer must have scanned the Palace area for any defenses."

"The Star Destroyer will think that the auto turrets will be reinforcement, should they get that far," countered Queen Apailana. "And the stormtroopers on the ground might think that the location we have on them was wrong," she paused, "I hope."

"This plan should have been thought-," Dirk was cut off by Hooka who roared.

"Look!" shouted Moss. He pointed out the window just as beyond the trees of the courtyard lit up with blaster fire. "They're trying to capture the south end of the Palace. They are purposely trying to not get into range of the auto turrets. The trap has failed."

"No surprise there," Dirk remarked. Queen Apailana's comlink buzzed with the conversation of the officers. There mostly screams of the dying coming through. How the Queen could resist turning it off, Moss did not know. "It looks like they have captured the south end," said Dirk. The stormtroopers made their way across the entry of the courtyard, trying to reach the other side. The auto turrets fired upon them and none got to the other side. "What do you know? Our trap didn't fail after all." The flow of stormtroopers stopped momentarily.

"They are going to have to get to the other side of the courtyard if they want to get the auto turrets offline," said Trando.

Suddenly a charge of stormtroopers ran across the entry to the other side. It was decimated by auto turret fire, but the one tenth that remained was still a threat. Moss stood with his mouth open. "Unbelievable," he said.

"That's what they are," said Queen Apailana. "Unbelievable. Their precision is one of the best in the galaxy, it is almost unnatural."

The queen's comlink buzzed again. She picked it out of her color and listened, "They have managed to sneak in a few repulorlift tanks," said a somewhat worried voice. The queen's face turned into sadness. She could see the inevitable. It was only a matter of time when she would give the order.

On the northern end of the Palace, the red glow of blaster fire splashed an ominous red hue onto the building's walls. Moss watched as an explosion lit up that end of the courtyard. "We've taken out one of their tanks!" announced a voice over the comlink. "Only one more to go."

They continued to watch the battle from the safety of the Palace. A few minutes later another explosion lit up the northern end of the Palace. "They've destroyed the auto turret console."

Stormtroopers poured into the courtyard. Not long afterward, the entire courtyard was engulfed in blaster fire. Queen Apailana's face never looked grimmer. "Send out the Jedi," she said into the comlink. Dirk, Trando, and Moss looked at the queen. They took a step back and were preparing to go outside into the battle. "Not you," she said, not looking away from the window. "I need you for when things get worse." They returned to their original places. The only thing that changed in the battle was the presence of people wielding lightsabers. But even they were being killed.

Moss searched the courtyard for something out of place. He found it, a red blaster bolt that didn't move in a straight line, and never hit a wall. It wasn't a blaster bolt, he realized. "It's Vader!" said Trando. So that was what Darth Vader looked like. Moss had never seen him. The traitorous Jedi walked up to the other Jedi and, almost too easily, cut them down.

Moss looked at Queen Apailana. A tear rolled down her cheek and she whispered, "It's time to go." She turned around and walked away from the window. Taking a final glance at the battle, Moss was about to become a part of, he left with the queen.

They all stood at the front door. Hooka had his bow caster ready, and the three Jedi had their lightsabers in their hands. The queen pulled out a blaster from within her dress. She took a deep breath and opened the door. The noise of the battle infused Moss's ears. The sight was utter destruction. RSF officers and stromtroopers were falling like flies. He and the rest of the Jedi lit their lightsabers. "Get to the Palace's hangar," said the queen over the noise. She bolted down the stairs as fast as she can, and Moss, Trando, Dirk, and Hooka kept up.

They did their best to deflect all the shots that came their way. Queen Apailana did not hesitate to fire her blaster. As they made their way across the courtyard, Moss could not help but cut down a few stormtroopers for himself. He rejoined the queen and continued. Queen Apailana pointed the way with her blaster. Incidentally, there was a stormtrooper in that direction and she shot him down. Moss could sense fire burning inside her. They all ended up straying away from each other, but still kept each other in their sight, and went in the same general direction.

Moss was having fun with this. It was almost like a free for all. He lopped off an arm of a stormtrooper and took his time severing the other. Both arms fell to the ground and he struck low for his final blow. He twirled around and cut the legs off. His lightsaber came to an abrupt halt. Moss looked up and found out why. Darth Vader had blocked it. It was impossible to hear his infamous breathing over the noise of the battle. "Help!" he cried. To his surprise, Trando heard his call and came to his side. Darth Vader flicked the lightsaber around and Moss barely blocked the attack. Trando tried to stab Darth Vader in the back, but Vader turned and blocked it. At the same time, Moss tried to strike Darth Vader across the chest, but that too was blocked.

Trando and Moss developed a technique: Strike at the same time Darth Vader was blocking and hope his reflexes won't be fast. It didn't work. Moss and Trando contorted in many different ways, trying to attack and defend themselves. They were growing tired quickly, and so they found the only solution to the problem. Trando and Moss reached out their hands and pushed Darth Vader with the Force. Darth Vader went flying half way across the courtyard.

There was no time to celebrate surviving Darth Vader. Moss had a tingling sensation in the back of his mind. He lunged out with his lightsaber in front of Queen Apailana and blocked, what would have been, a fatal shot to the head by a sniper. "We have to get there quicker," shouted Queen Apailana.

"Where's Hooka?" asked Moss.

"He's been shot down when you were battling Vader," said Dirk. Sadness and anger welled up inside Moss. But he didn't let that get to him. They continued to make their escape from the Palace. They were at the edge of the courtyard. A tingling sensation was in the back of Moss's mind again, but he ignored it, because he was already preoccupied with a group of stormtroopers. Dirk was leaping with his lightsaber, trying to deflect blaster fire away from Queen Apailana. Trando had his own problems with the stormtroopers. The queen herself was busy trying to clear a path out of the courtyard.

"There," she said, pointing with her blaster. They started running for the open. The tingling sensation in the back of Moss's mind was getting stronger, but still he ignored it. A sniper bolt sped out from a dark alley, toward the queen's chest. Moss deflected it. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sniper bolt speed from a bridge, connecting two buildings. Moss tried to deflect it, but he was a hair off. It hit Queen Apailana in the neck, and she dropped her blaster. The queen fell in the middle of the courtyard, arms spread outward.

"No!" he screamed in pain. The sight of Queen Apailana being dead was unbearable. She was the kindest woman in the galaxy and she was killed ruthlessly by the darkest force in the galaxy. He should have paid attention to his feelings and followed through on the tingling sensation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dirk being shot down by stormtroopers. He fell backwards, lightsaber flying out of his hands. The stormtroopers wouldn't settle with just one fatal shot, they kept shooting him even after he was clearly dead.


	14. The End

"Come on!" screamed Trando over the noise of the raging battle. Trando's voice was uneven as if he was trying to hold back his tears. Moss had no choice but to listen. If he stood in that place for too long, he would end up like Dirk. Moss ran behind Trando and left the courtyard. There wasn't as much fighting outside of the courtyard which was good. "Over there," pointed Trando.

Moss looked and saw the hangar. It was bigger than the starport. Trando ran ahead and Moss followed. They came up to the front doors and stopped. To their left were two RSF officers running towards them. "I have orders to tell the remaining RSF pilots to escort the queen's yacht."

"I will tell them for you," said Trando. "Get back to the battle."

"Sir, the battle is about to end, the security officers are largely out numbered," said the RSF officer. "The signal to retreat will be happening in a few seconds. I suggest you get aboard the yacht before the stormtroopers start their sweeping action to pick up anybody who fled the battle."

"Of course," said Trando, "In that case, come aboard the yacht." The RSF officers nodded and followed Trando and Moss into the hangar. They walked into a military style room. It was bleak and grey. But the absence of scorched marks of blaster fire on the walls told them that the Empire forgot to attack someplace.

"Looks like the stormtroopers haven't thought about attack the hangar," commented Moss. They continued up some flights of stairs and reached a large room that opened out into the outside. In the middle was giant chrome starship with the engines getting ready for take off. There were also eight yellow Naboo starfighters, also getting ready for take off.

The RSF officers left Moss and Trando to go and tell the remaining pilots the message. Moss and Trando went to the yacht right away. They went for the cockpit and entered. In front of the controls was a man and next to him was an inexperienced man. Near the walls of the cockpit were some people watching them. "The other pilots will be escorting you to your destination," informed Moss.

The pilot turned around to look at them. "Good. Say, aren't you Jedi?"

"Yes, we are," said Trando.

"Then where is the queen?" asked the pilot.

"I am afraid she has been killed," said Trando.

Everyone's face in the cockpit looked sad. There was a long silence. The two RSF officers came aboard and broke the silence. "The stormtroopers are advancing on the hangar. We have to go now.

The pilot snapped out of his depressed trance and switched the controls. There were sounds coming from the hull. "They're firing at us," said Moss.

"Don't worry, they can't do any significant damage with those blasters," said the co-pilot. They lifted off the ground and shot out of the hangar. The reverse camera off to the side in the cockpit showed that all eight Naboo starfighters were following.

The ship came out of the atmosphere and was greeted by a coming Star Destroyer. "Star Destroyer closing in on starboard," alerted the co-pilot. The ship started to shake as it took bombardment from the Star Destroyer. "They're firing on us!" There was an explosion and the co-pilot said, "Our engines are losing power. We are going to die."

The ship came to a stop and continued to take the Star Destroyers bombardment. "Not if I can help it," said the pilot, determined. "All escorting craft, I am sending you coordinates for Alderaan. Jump when ready."

Two starfighters flashed before the cockpits view screen. Then the stars turned to starlines and they shot into hyperspace. "Alderaan?" asked Trando once they were in hyperspace. "Why are we going there?"

"Bail Organa and some other senators are planning a rebellion against the Empire," said someone standing against the wall. "They want to find as many Jedi as they can to help him plan this. I personally think that this whole thing is going to fail. But we can't say we didn't try."

The six day trip to Alderaan was as boring as getting to Naboo. Although people had rejuvenated hope and excitement, Moss realized a fatal flaw. He had told Trando about it, but kept it at that. Even if they did tell everybody else, there was still nothing they could do about it.

They stood in the cockpit. The hyperspace timer had one minute left, but the pulled into real space. "What the…?" said the pilot. He was busy looking at the controls to see what happened, but everyone else looked out the view port. Before them was the planet Alderaan, but in between Alderaan and the ship was an entire armada of Interdicter, Victory class, and plain old Star Destroyers. The pilot looked up and his mouth hung open.

The starfighters hung in space too, captured by surprise. The pilot tried to turn on the comm to communicate, but all they heard was static. The static went away and a voice said, "Prepare to be boarded."

"The hell I will," said the pilot in frustration. The kept flicking a switch on and off. It was a secret message that told the starfighters to assume attack position. From the far left corner was a Star Destroyer coming to board the yacht. The co-pilot hit a button. "R2 droids dispatched to fix the engines.

After a few suspenseful minutes the engines were back online. The Star Destroyer was just about to place the yacht inside it, but the pilot sped out from under the Star Destroyer. Above it, the Naboo starfighters were trying their best to destroy it, but it wasn't going to well. Then, almost at the same time, every ship in the fleet began to fire upon the yacht. Moss wasn't feeling to well. His stomach was turning inside him. This was the worst Force feeling he had ever received. He knew he was about to die. Trando's face didn't look like the same thing was happening him. He was just staring out in space. There was a loud explosion. "Engines and all R2 units gone," reported the co-pilot. Another large explosion sounded throughout the cockpit. It set off a series of smaller explosions. And then the ship exploded.


End file.
